The Holocaust was an inconceivable historical event, which forever robbed Western culture of its innocence. As civilized human beings, we fail to understand how events of such horror could have taken place, and how an idea so inhumanly warped could have spread like wildfire through an entire continent, instigating the systematic annihilation of millions of Jews.
This free online course was produced jointly by Tel Aviv University and Yad Vashem – the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. The course tracks the history of the Holocaust and has two parts. "The Holocaust - An Introduction (I): Nazi Germany: Ideology, The Jews and the World" is the first of the two courses and covers the following themes in its three weeks:
Week 1: From Hatred to Core Ideology
We will try to delve into Nazi ideology and the special place of Jews and Judaism in it. We will also discuss how the National Socialist Party converted the German Democracy of the Weimar Republic into a totalitarian regime within a short period of time, and its meaning for Jews and non-Jewish citizens.
Week 2: The World and the Jews in World War II
We will try to examine the broader contexts of the Holocaust and to place it, as part of World War 2. In this meeting we will also refer to the vital Jewish world to be found under various Nazi occupations and influences.
Week 3: The Isolation Abyss - the Perspective of the Individual
We will try to reveal different aspects of Jewish life in the face of the badge of shame, ghettos and segregation, as well as the formation of individual, societies’ and leader’s reactions in the face of a consistent policy of dispossession and discrimination.
Once you’ve completed this course, you can continue your learning with The Holocaust - An Introduction (II): The Final Solution (https://www.coursera.org/learn/holocaust-introduction-2/home/welcome)
This online course is offered in an innovative, multi-level format, comprising:
* Comprehensive lectures by leading researchers from Tel Aviv University and Yad Vashem.
* A wealth of voices and viewpoints presented by guest lecturers.
* Numerous documents, photos, testimonies and works of art from the time of the Holocaust.
* Novel learning experience: Crowd sourcing – involving the learners themselves in the act of collecting and shaping information, via unique, exciting online assignments.
REQUIREMENTS:
This course is designed for anyone with an interest in the Holocaust, including students, teachers, academics and policy-makers.

From the lesson

From Hatred to Core Ideology; From Democracy to a Totalitarian State; Nazi Germany and the Jews

We will try to delve into Nazi ideology and the special place of Jews and Judaism in it. We will ask ourselves what, if anything, it renewed regarding traditional hatred of Israel and modern anti-Semitism and analyze Nazi documents to see how it reflects in them. Also, in this lesson we will discuss how the National Socialist Party succeeded in converting the German Democracy of the Weimar Republic into a totalitarian regime within a short period of time, and the significance of this process for its citizens - Jews and non-Jews alike.

Meet the Instructors

Professor Havi Dreifuss, PhD

ProfessorHavi Dreifuss is a historian of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe; senior lecturer in the Department of Jewish History at TAU; heads the Center for Research of Holocaust History in Poland, Yad Vashem.

Dr Na'ama Bela Shik, PhD

Director, Educational Technology Department, The International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad VashemThe International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem

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Hello again.

On January 30th, 1933 Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany.

The National Socialist German Workers Party, better known as the Nazi Party,

was a minor party within the German politics until 1930.

In the May 1924 elections, it won 6.6% of the votes, and

in those of May 1928, only 2.6% of the Germans supported it.

Yet, in the next elections, those of September 1930, it got 18.3% of the votes.

In July 1932 37.3% and on the deciding elections

of November 1932 33.1% of the German's supported it.

What can we learn from this data?

A few things.

First, the German political instability on the eve of Hitler rise to power.

Second, the disturbing effect the world economic crisis,

of 1929, had on German society.

In October 1929, the Wall Street stock market crashed in what signaled

the beginning of the Great Depression.

All throughout the globe economies collapsed and millions lost their job.

Yet, this worldwide crisis had a special effect on Germany, where people still

remembered the depression and inflation of the end of World War I.

Thus in Germany, this crisis was not only an economic one, but

also a psychological one.

It is no surprise that it resulted in political extremism in which

nationalists on the one hand and German communists on the other gained power.

Third thing, we should point out regarding those figures is that unlike what many

people believed, Hitler never won a majority vote in democratic elections.

His appointment to councilor was within the democratic system and

a result of political agreements not of a general support.

The central parties could not create a stable coalition without

one of the extremism parties.

They had to choose between the Nazis and the Communist.

Two parties which openly advocated dismantling democracy.

German moderate leaders preferred Hitler,

not only because of their fear of the communism, but

also because they thought they would be able to control Hitler.

They couldnt have been more wrong.

Within weeks from the siege of power Hitler used the advanced democratic

constitution of the Weimar Republic in order to destroy it.

In less than a year Germany became Nazi Germany, as a first step

Hitler manipulated the new scene and called for new elections on March the 5th.

The second step, of after appointment of Hitler.

In the late hours of February 27th, 1933, the Reichstag,

the German parliament was set on fire.

Though it seems as if Herman Goering,

one of the leading figures in the Nazi party and the Minister of Interior was

involved, that blame was imposed on the communists and the anarchists.

More important,

this event enabled Hitler to promote the Reichstag Fire Decree which reduced

considerably many of the civil liberties of the German citizens and enabled

Nazi authorities to imprison anyone who was grasped by them as an enemy.

Communist and other German citizens were taken into protective custody,

Schutzhaft, for an unknown and unset period of time.

Where could the rest of the opponents have been held?

They could have been put in jails like in any other modern country, but Hitler and

the Nazi Party had a problem.

Unlike other dramatic changes in forms of government, Hitler did not want to provoke

a revolution and simply replace the existing civil apparatus with his people.

Hitler wanted to enlist the German people and his bureaucratic system to

his Weltanschauung, his wild view, but this would have taken too much time.

Thus, he had to find a way to justify removal of people whom he deemed

as dangerous elements without going through the legal system.

So, what did the Nazi party do?

They implemented a new form of detention facility for political enemies.

Concentration camps.

Less than two months after Hitler became Chancellor and three weeks after

the Reichstag fire, Dachau the first of many concentration camps was established.

The changing character of Nazi camps and the different aspects of life and

death within them demand a full stand alone course.

But in this framework we must limit ourself to a basic understanding

of this system and its impact on the German society.

Generally speaking, in the first years, inmates were supposedly imprisoned in

the camp for their re-education, meaning they could be released, and

some were released, only if they recognized, or

if they pretended to recognize, the correctness of the Nazi path.

Later on, and especially after 1936,

to which we will refer later, releases became increasingly less common.

More and more inmates were used for

forced labor in the German industry, especially the military German industry.

Thus, the regime used its enemies in order to promote its own interests.

As soon as Nazi Germany occupied other countries,

it understood it could kill two birds with one stone.

Not only remove dangerous elements in the occupied countries,

local political leaders, underground activists, and freedom fighters, but

also use them for gentler needs benefits.

What started in Dachau in 1933 tended in

tens of thousands of camps which were erected during the war

throughout Europe in order to enslave millions of European citizens.

For those of you who want to know more,

please see further readings suggested below.

But returning to Hitler's first month in power and

the establishment of Dachau, we should notice two more important things.

First, in this stage, the inmates of the concentration camps were not Jewish but

politician enemies.

True, as you can see on the following table, if you were a Jewish communist or

Jewish criminal, your chances to die in the camp were considerably high.

Yet Jews were imprisoned in camps for

their Jewishness only in 1938 as we will see later.

Second, the Nazi concentration camps had a decisive role not only

in reeducating prisoners and guards about their superiority but

also in reeducating the entire German population.

Unlike the familiar punishment system of a felony, a police interrogation,

a trial, a verdict, and implementation of the punishment,

the Nazi Schutzhaft protective custody worked completely differently.

People, and those surrounding them, did not always know why they were arrested or

where they were taken, as well when and if they will ever be released.

Not many really knew what was going on in the camps,

but all heard enough to understand it was too dangerous to ask more about it.

Rumors and whispers about people who were dragged through their beds

intensified the terror no less than the SA thugs who filled the streets.

In March 1933, Nazi terrorism swept Germany.

While disseminating fear within the German society,

creating a reality that helped him win more than 43% of the vote in March

5th elections, Hitler continued to work on gaining endless political power.

On the 23 of March, 1933, the German Reichstag approved the Enabling Act.

In which the Parliament gave away its power and function, for

a strict period which never ended in Nazi Germany.

The full legislative power was handed to the Reich Chancellor, Hitler, and

the government.

Now, the road was paved to the true implementation of the Gleichschaltung,

forcible coordination of the Nazi Party and the German state.

Starting in March 1933, The Nazi Party took over the German States.

Local elections were dissolved and other results were forced on them.

In April, Reichsleiter leaders were appointed in order to create a Nazi mechanism

parallel to that of the state.

Under this mechanism, Gauleiters, original leaders of the party,

Leader of districts, Nazi head of cities and villages, and so on were appointed.

The Nazi Party gained geographical control of Germany.

Public and political life in Germany was the next target.

In May 1933 all trade unions were abolished.

And instead the German Labor Front, the Nazi organization was established.

In July 14th, all parties were dismantled,

leaving the Nazi party as the only legal one.

Leftist youth movements were outlawed and

all the others were incorporated into the Nazi Hitler-Jugend.

Student's organizations ceased to exist,

leaving only the National Socialist German Students League.

The same happened in the realm of welfare,

where only the National Socialist People's Welfare remained legal, or the new

National Socialist Teacher's League, which replaced all former teacher's unions.

In the field of culture, a life cultural organization was established and

all cultural activities throughout Germany

had to get the approval of its heads and so on.

The first of May became the Day of National Work.

And the day Hitler gained power,

the 30th of January was declared a new national holiday.

At this stage, one could not be a part of any social or professional organization,

teachers, lawyers, or mechanics, and avoid Nazism.

The party was the state.

The Nazi party took over the state infrastructure

by blurring the dividing lines between party and state institutions And

thus creating Nazi Germany or The Third Reich.

Nazi Germany was much more than a dictatorship.

It was a totalitarian regime which controlled and

ruled all aspects of the life of its citizens, who they will marry,

how many kids they will have, what will be their profession or where will they work.

All were the interest of the Nazi German state.

The last elections ever to be held in Nazi Germany took place on November 12, 1933.

Hitler won more than 92% of the votes of the German people.

At the end of 1933, Hitler could look at this transformation with satisfaction.

The republic of Vimer was gone to a larger extent,

although the overall process of would last until 1937.

How did people, German European citizens, react to this new reality.

And what else changed in the later years of Nazi Germany.

Those are some of the questions we will answer in our next units.

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